ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Buncombe County Board of Elections approved new rules governing board member access to election offices and high-security election spaces after a lengthy and at times tense debate over oversight authority, election security and public trust.

The revised resolution outlines how members of the Board of Elections may access election offices and the warehouse where voting equipment is stored.

Much of the nearly hourlong discussion Thursday focused on whether board members should be allowed unannounced access to election facilities and how to balance oversight responsibilities with maintaining security and staff independence.

“This whole system has security steps in it,” Elections Director Corinne Duncan told the board. “Oversight of the board in this capacity … is just one piece of how we make sure that the election is run with integrity.”

Under the approved policy, board members will continue to have access to election facilities, but additional safeguards remain in place for what the board defined as “high security spaces,” including the warehouse and areas requiring additional security credentials.

The debate exposed deep philosophical differences among board members about how much direct access the board should have to day-to-day election operations.

One board member argued the board has a legal and ethical responsibility to independently observe election operations because the board ultimately bears responsibility for election administration.

“Our chair is responsible for safekeeping of all facilities, including the voting machines,” the member said. “I see no reason why this staff, which is running the whole Board of Elections here in Buncombe County, does not have access to our own spaces.”

Supporters of broader access argued the board should not have to rely solely on scheduled or announced visits to maintain oversight.

“Supervision can only happen in most situations unannounced,” another board member said. “Announced allows preparation, protection, and we’re making rules not governing the people that we have today because we don’t have concerns. But in the event that those concerns grow, how would we know if we always announce ourselves?”

That member later added, “I do think there is some aspect of observation that bears merit to unannounced.”

Others strongly disagreed, saying election staff report to the elections director — not individual board members — and warning that unannounced visits could disrupt operations or create public mistrust.

“We have delegated authority to the director to supervise staff,” board member Jake Quinn said. “I have a real problem with board members just going into working space during working hours for the heck of it.”

“There needs to be a reason. We have a high-functioning, high-performing group of professionals. I want to accord them the respect that they deserve.”

Another concern repeatedly raised during the discussion involved the perception of board members entering high-security election spaces.

“The optics wouldn’t be good,” one member said. “I don’t think.”

The member later added that rumors or misinformation surrounding election facilities could quickly spread if bipartisan safeguards were not in place.

“I don’t want two Democrats going in the building any more than they want two Republicans,” the board member said. “It’s just the optics.”

Another board member said she worried board members inherently carry authority that could unintentionally pressure employees.

“We, by giving our name, the Board of Elections, we have a power, an unspoken power to the employees,” she said. “They can feel intimidated by us very quickly.”

She added that staff may feel uncomfortable if board members arrive unexpectedly.

“They don’t want to get in the middle of the board and Corinne,” she said, referring to Duncan.

Duncan repeatedly urged the board to adopt limits she said would preserve security and public confidence.

“I strongly feel that the small limits … are worth the security aspect and the perception aspect,” Duncan said. “We’ve already seen newspaper articles that are reporting things that aren’t accurate.”

The discussion also became highly technical at times as members debated whether county badge access systems could limit board access only when staff members were present in the warehouse.

Duncan explained the county’s system could not be configured that way.

“There’s no way that we would know that there was an employee there, which would then give us either a warning or not, warning that somebody was in the building,” Duncan said.

Instead, the compromise adopted by the board requires additional procedures for access to high-security areas, including bipartisan access requirements and staff presence.

After multiple motions, amendments and procedural debates, the board approved the revised policy in a voice vote with one dissenting vote.

Despite the disagreements, several board members emphasized they wanted to maintain civility and public confidence in elections.

“We are a very strong board,” one board member said near the close of the meeting. “We have lots of strong opinions.”

She added that “courtesy at any level is critical for best practice.”

The meeting also touched on several other election-related issues.

Duncan said Buncombe County is expanding emergency preparedness efforts following Tropical Storm Helene by assigning all county employees emergency management roles during large-scale disasters. Election Services employees have been assigned shelter operations duties and already completed Red Cross shelter training.

Board members also discussed the county’s recent purchase of the former JCPenney building at the Asheville Mall for emergency operations. While no formal plans were announced, members suggested future county department relocations could create opportunities for Election Services facilities.

In addition, election officials said more than 500 responses had already been submitted to the county’s early voting survey, which asks residents for feedback on polling locations and suggestions for future early voting sites.

Officials also said they continue exploring the possibility of an early voting location at the University of North Carolina Asheville after renewed outreach to university leadership.